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I thought it might be useful/interesting to put up a list of the different types of poi available, their pros and cons and suchlike.I haven't gone into all the different electric ones - but someone else is more than welcome to.

Anyone want to add any, argue, amend anything?

Fire Poi:- ~ Chain/Ball chain Easy to wrap around your hands/fingers to shorten mid-burn, good for wraps, hyperloops etc. I think you need a heavy-ish wick on the end, as the heavy chain can put too much weight in the middle of the poi for nice spinning.

~ CableLighter than chain so you can have smaller wicks (Why you would want small wicks is beyond me...). Nice for wraps, but a little uncomfortable to shorten mid-spin. Prone to kinking, especially during hyperloops/airwraps or just when they tangle

~Fire Ropesi.e. A length of kevlar wicking instead of chain - Can't be shortened mid-spin, without extra weighting on the end, some moves can be tricky (isolations spring to mind). Some wraps can be a bit risky too.

Non-Fire Poi:- ~Sock PoiA ball (tennis, juggling or two) in the end of a long sock. Great for wraps, shortening, hyperloops and most moves. If too stretchy can make isolations hard. Some colours UV active. Very cheap

~ Cone poiLike sock poi, but made of proper material so non-stretchy. All the pro's of socks, none of the con's. Cost slightly more, not that many for sale (yet)

~GlowsticksVery light and therefore fast. Can't be slowed down very much which can make it tricky to learn moves, and can make things a bit messy. Hurt when you hit yourself with them. Too light for some moves, but do open up their own list of moves.

~Tail PoiLook lovely during the day, can't be used outside on windy days. Prone to annoying tangles. *Great* training aid - general consensus is "If you can do it with tails, you can do it with anything" as they really teach perfection.

~FlagsVary hugely in design. Visually stunning, some moves tricky/impossible with them, others become easier. Alot depends on the weight of them - both the material and the weight in them.

do be careful. i loaded them up last night did my dry run, slipped on a wet slab and gave myself concussion. not good.i think they are the most painful poi around. i may attach spikes to mine just to make them that bit worse

Sparky/Cage poiheavy duty cages (like big bird feeders...bird feeders will not do) or whisky tins attached to chains just like normal poi. fill with wire wool.light, run off and do poi. sparks will fly everywhere. gets the smit seal of approval

Posted:24th Apr 2004lots of types yes, but should we really be calling them poi though...?sorry.

maybe firepoi list could get a wick types bit too?

monkey fist: kevlar rope tied in a spherical knot. they are lovely and they burn for ages and they feel like balls on the end of a chain. which is what they are. have a tendancy to randomly self-extinguish if held still or swung as pendula for too long due to their shape.

tube core: kevlar wick wrapped around aluminium tube, usually with a wooden dowel at the centre. easy to both make and replace. generally have a shorter burn time and more exposed metal than the other two.

cathedral wick: kevlar wick folded in a concertina fashion. they hold lots of fuel, burn for ages and have very little exposed metal if made properly. seem to be more suscepteble to wear and tear but maybe i was a little more rough with them than the others...

kittens: quite fluffy and attract lots of attention but are only single use and are generally quite messy.

feel free to edit to remove my biased opinions.

"i see you at 'dis cafe.i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.they do porridge."- tim westwood

Posted:26th Apr 2004Not really, just there are sooooooooo many different types of LED poi, I thought it would take too long - off the top of my head:Beaming PoiElectrogloAerotech - GloBalls in netsAerotech - GloMeteor (No GloPoi yet)LED Glowsticks from HOPSoft Glotoys (as seen on Firetoys)

Posted:14th May 2004durbs - completely right man; imo dead kittens after a few burns are very similar to tubecore wick.i meant to specify that live ones are quite unique as they make a cute noise as they spin but as i said, in this respect, they are only single use.

and firegeek, been meaning to say it for a while - that photo is absolutely gorgeous

"i see you at 'dis cafe.i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.they do porridge."- tim westwood

Posted:27th May 2004heys, not sure what i got are poi, they're really short torches (bout a foot long and made from aluiminum tubing) attached to the ends of chains. the gurl i bought them off at markets called them foxtails... just starting to learn how to tangle myself up with the poi (borrowing my friends) and these looked like fun.